The
leading record company in the Philippines was first established as WEA
Records Philippines in 1977. After 15 years of fruitful partnership with
WEA Records International, the foreign licensor put up its own office
in the country.

On
July 2, 1992, Universal Records was born and has since risen to become
a top name in the local music industry. Universal Records currently boasts
th e likes of Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, The Venga Boys, Steps,
and R. Kelly in its Foreign Artist lineup. The company has also strengthened
its Original Pilipino Music (OPM) repertoire, with the likes of bestselling
artists Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Apo Hiking Society, Kuh Ledesma,
Jake Concepcion and Celeste Legaspi.

The
new artists Universal Records introduced in the music scene -- Smokey
Mountain, Geneva Cruz, Gino Padilla, Weedd, Parokya Ni Edgar, UMD and
Willy Garte -- have likewise become platinum/multi-platinum sellers. Due
to the enormous sales of its OPM artists, Universal Records maintains
its consistent share of at least 20 percent of the annual gross in the
Philippines.